Intro:

Former Argentina international Juan Sebastian Veron said on Thursday (19th June) that he is not surprised to see Chile playing well at this year's World Cup but also admitted Spain's poor form is a shock.

Script:

SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Juan Sebastian Veron, former Argentina international (on whether Lionel Messi needs to perform at the World Cup to prove himself as a great player):

"For me, Messi will always be one of the best. He doesn't need the obsession of winning a World Cup to be considered one of the all time greatest. In football there are many great players who never won the World Cup but they are still legends. Therefore, I don't think Messi needs to win the World Cup."

SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Juan Sebastian Veron, former Argentina international (on Spain's exit from the World Cup):

"Spain getting knocked out of the tournament this early really is a surprise because of the depth and quality of the squad, as well as the experience. They did not perform as they would have liked but it is now the end of an era. It's unfortunate for them that their cycle and recent dominance ended this way. It's part of the game though. Sometimes you have to lose. Even though it's the end of one generation, I'm sure they have a good future."

SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Juan Sebastian Veron, former Argentina international (on which team he thinks has enough quality to win the World Cup):

"Of the teams I've seen Germany, Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, Chile are playing well. But there is still a lot of football that needs to be played in this tournament."